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Bestiary
This page refers to creatures that appear on the Bestiary section of a Pawn's Status Information. For a comprehensive list of creatures that may be encountered, refer to the Enemies or Dark Arisen: Enemies pages. Overview A pawn's catalog of creature knowledge is their Bestiary knowledge. Increasing knowledge increases the rating for each foe from none to one, two and finally three stars of knowledge. Knowledge can also be granted from the Arisen to all in their party using Strategy Scrolls. Pawns can also gain knowledge of beasts either by traveling with their own Arisen or assisting Arisen in other realms. To gain knowledge, pawns must witness and acknowledge the Arisen or other pawns performing certain actions against an enemy. Examples include : *Exploiting weak spots *Using the correct element against an enemy *Being aware of certain moves the enemy will make, and being able to counter them. Pawn tactics and inclinations The acquisition of Bestiary knowledge increases the range of tactically useful actions a pawn may use in battle. Pawns lacking Bestiary knowledge will not be able to use specific tactics, and may choose deleterious tactics against a specific foe : *(Has knowledge) A pawn may know that Cyclopes are weak to Lightning and use appropriate spells. *(Lacks knowledge) A pawn may not know that a Snow Harpy is weak to Fire but resistant to Ice, and use a lesser enchantment (such as Ice Boon) randomly, rather than always using a far better spell (such as Fire Boon). Additionally, Bestiary knowledge also interacts with the pawn's inclination - specifically a Utilitarian inclination requires good knowledge so that the pawn knows what tactics to use to help their allies. Pawn chatter in battle is generated by Bestiary knowledge and its purpose is twofold : *The pawn is reciting tactics known to be effective on that particular enemy, e.g. "'Tis weak to fire!" *Calling instructions to other pawns, e.g. "Grab hold of its leg!" Utilitarian pawns will typically conform their next action in accordance with a pawn's tactic call, as their Bestiary knowledge and equipped skills permit. Other inclinations may or may not, depending on the priority other inclinations give to other actions - as a simple example: in battle with Saurians, a knowledgeable pawn may say "Strike the tail", yet an Acquisitor ally might go off and pick up remains of another defeated Saurian. Miscellany To gain 3 star Bestiary knowledge for given sub-species, it is generally necessary to kill or take part in the killing of a great many of that specific type - for smaller creatures, this may be as many as three hundred victories. Some creatures lack a Bestiary - this includes harmless Fauna, and lesser creatures such as Giant Rats and Spiders. Bestiary Enemies are placed into loose classes of creatures. In many cases, performing an action on or defeating one member of the class of creature will result in knowledge being gained for all or some of the other creatures in that class. Refer to individual Strategy Scrolls for information about techniques that apply to a class of creature. Dark Arisen introduced new enemies but no new strategy scrolls. However, if a technique for an existing Strategy Scroll applies to a new creature, then knowledge often will be gained for the new creature as well. For example, Wolf Strategy Vol. 1 teaches techniques for both Wargs and Garm as well as common Wolves. :Note - Creatures in italics are found in Dark Arisen only. Goblins Wolves Skeletons Saurians Undead Small Flyers Harpies Others Ghosts Undead spellcasters Cyclopes Ogres Golems Chimeras Giant flyers Hydras Eyes Humans Dragonkin Other Tips *The first star is always the easiest to earn, as pawns get it from learning one tactic either from a scroll or from observation. The second star is earned when a number of tactics specific to each beast are learned. The third star is earned when all tactics for a beast have been learned and kill counts for individual enemies are satisfied. *Some tactics are shared among enemies in the same family. :: For example, the use of magick against the Lion's head for Chimera and Gorechimera is known. Other tactics may be specific to that enemy. Using the above example, a pawn gets Bestiary knowledge on a Gorechimera by using fire to keep the Snake's tail from growing back after it is cut off. The Snake doesn't grow back on a regular Chimera, so this tactic is specific to the Gorechimera version. Knowing this can sometimes help figure out what to do to complete that Bestiary three-star set. :: If all three lesser Dragonkin types are at 2 stars, likely the pawn is missing something that would apply to them all like shooting the mouth while they breathe fire, where if only Wyvern is 2 star and Drake and Wyrm are 3 star, the tactic the pawn doesn't know yet is specific to Wyverns and wouldn't apply to the others (shooting a Wyvern's wings while it flies to ground it; the others will hover but don't fly around like the Wyvern). *Pay close attention to what pawns are saying when fighting enemies. They will often tell the party what enemy weaknesses are, even if they don't yet have the star for that tactic. This is one of the two purposes of pawn chatter in battle. :: Having pawns with extensive knowledge in the party can help. At higher levels, unequipping a pawn's weapon can prolong fights; it's pretty hard to get Bestiary knowledge in a fight that's over before it starts. *Using a well rounded party helps. The pawn will never get the Bestiary knowledge for perfect blocking a Wolf's lunge with a party of four Sorcerers; hiring a Fighter with 100% Bestiary knowledge of Wolves will help the party learn that tactic. The pawn will never get Griffin knowledge for weighing the creature down by climbing on it if the party members are small and light, since they do not weigh enough to perform that feat. *For elements, it's easy to get a set of weapons that cover all of the elements, which makes it easier than having to switch to Sorcerer/Mage to cast spells or use affinities. Non-casters can also use the spell jewels available from Mathias. *Upgrading Rusted weapons to three stars will give them the ability to inflict Torpor and Poison. Gold weapons reinforced to three stars apply Silence. This is an easy way to cover a few debilitations, even as a melee vocation. Debilitation Jewels sold by Mathias can also be used if that's easier than changing vocations. *Some easily missed or overlooked tactics: **Wolves have to be doused by water (good luck hitting a moving wolf with a flask of water), but there's a bestiary scroll for this. If the scroll for this tactic can't be found, there's a wolf that spawns at night in the Witchwood's river near the entrance. It will be wet and proceed to dry itself. **Undead, Ghosts, and Skeletons can be damaged by Anodyne, but they need to be lured through the glowing cloud. **Hydras/Archydras have to be coaxed into lowering a head by staggering it (arrows work, but single-shot arrows from the right trigger, not Five/Tenfold), then an Explosive Barrel must be thrown into the mouth, then shoot or hit the bulge in the neck to detonate the barrel. **Cursed Dragon : the Rotten Food flag can be the hardest to trigger. One reliable tactic may be to : ***Pack food items in various statuses on the Arisen (fresh & moldy vegetables, fresh & sour meat) ***Find a Cursed Dragon ***Attack the Cursed Dragon; try to not damage it too much ***Wait for it to fly (unequip bows from pawns if they knock the dragon from the air) ***Grab the pawn that is missing knowledge ***Put the perishable items on them ***Wait for the Cursed Dragon's breath attack with the pawn on the Arisen's shoulders ***Get hit by the attack => Pawn should express the knowledge gain immediately **The Seneschal : some flags are hard to trigger. A good way to ensure the unlocking of flags is to drag out the fight as long as possible (2 stars can be obtained during the first fight). To achieve that, load up curatives and equip Holy resistant clothing and armor before jumping into the Wakestone portal. Category:Enemies Category:Concepts Category:Lists, guides and FAQs *